02 July 2013

Let's Make Some Noise

Sometimes I try and watch a tv show and the gun handling is so bad that I can't deal and have to turn it off. This happened most recently with Wallander, an otherwise fairly well done detective show available for streaming on your local Netflix.

The main character draws his gun just about every episode (which is itself unusual/ridiculous for a cop, but whatever) and he makes a complete hash of it every... single... time. It's down to the actor not knowing dick about guns. I can make allowances at first but after three or four times it's very distracting. Sometimes the grip will change from one camera shot to the next. Continuity fail. And, after a few episodes (and seasons, which amounts to years of real life time) it is willful ignorance on the part of the actor. It's not super hard to get it right - it only takes 10 minutes to learn a proper grip. Yeah it might take some additional practice time but that's your job so figure it out.

No doubt the guy in the video above feels the same way every time he watches a sword fight on Game of Thrones. Bummer for him. I know they're super theatrical and bullshit but usually the fights are brief enough you can get back to intrigue.

My favorite fight choreography is the big two handed overhead smash followed by a slice to the midsection. Works every time! Apparently the sidestep and lunge hasn't made any headway in Westeros fencing schools. Neither has the ability to link a parry (i.e. such as may be required to deflect a two-handed overhead smash) to an attack. For f's sake. Whoever figures it out will have an easy path to the Iron Throne.

Next time you watch GoT notice how much noise there is every time they draw swords. Then imagine it as a bunch of very quiet rattles and subtle whispers. How would you know that there's about to be a fight without the aural cues? CHIIIING!